A Small Town Vacation

Last week, on Monday, Jake (aka Daddy) took Spencer and I (Nicole, aka Mommy) back to my hometown, where we planned to stay the week.

Jake has a new job (if you don't know about it, feel free to read up on the change in my own blog), and is gone four days/three nights a week.  He's been working in my hometown area for a few weeks, so I thought maybe it would be an easy enough thing for him to just drop us off there while he was working, so we could have a change of scenery for a while.

I was a little nervous about Spencer adjusting to being there, sleeping at my mom's and not his room for four nights (we stayed until mid-day Friday), but overall, it was a wonderful trip.

Monday:  On Monday, we arrived around noon.  We were dropped off at Papa Web's house, where we waited for Auntie Sam to wake up from her nap and join us.  Uncle Bryan came also that evening, and brought bubbles! Yay!  After they were done with work, Uncle Dustin/Groovy and Grandma Anita came by.  Eventually, Auntie Allie came for a while, too.  We had a good afternoon/evening mostly playing with balls in the yard, as well as bubbles.  Wendell spent the night (and the rest of them) with Papa.

Tuesday:  On Tuesday, Sam and I went to the high school and visited Frau (my former teacher and now friend) and talked about the school yearbook.  Papa took Spencer to play at the park, and to see some of Papa's friends.

Wednesday:  Wednesday was a fun day, in which Papa took Auntie Sam, Spencer, and I to Sanborn (SJ fell asleep on the way), and we visited my grandparents' grave.  Afterward, Papa decided we should road trip to the nearest Wal-Mart (about half an hour from where we were) and get Spencer a pool!  So, we did.  Papa bought him a pool and a squishy ball, and I got him a big blue ball to play with, too.  And some PediaSure since he was against eating while we were on vacation.  After, we went to Dairy Queen, and then the local park where they have some animals at the "zoo."  Spencer LOVED the ducks.   He would run up to them super excited like and yell "QUACK QUACK!" before running away, and back again, and away again, and back again... When we got back to Papa's house, he blew up the pool and "filled" with with a few inches of water.  Spencer got right in and played for quite a long time.  He didn't want to leave that night, but rather just keep swimming.

Thursday:  Early Thursday morning, Grandma and Auntie Allie took Spencer to the strawberry farm (about forty minutes or so away) to pick berries while I got to catch up on some sleep (because Spencer was staying up late and getting up very early on vacation).  He didn't so much help pick berries, I hear, but had a good time anyway.  After he got bored, Allie took him to pretend to drive Grandma's truck.  They came back mid-morning with a bunch of berries.  I tried to get Spencer to taste one... and he really didn't want to, but he liked to touch and look at them!  Then, Grandma and Allie went to Grandma's job so she could show him off and meet her co-workers.  He had a great time, I was told, splashing in puddles, running through rows of flowers (she works at a nursery), and climbing on rocks.  When they got back, it was nap time, and then back to Papa's for more swimming!  Spencer had a BLAST swimming on Thursday, especially since he discovered he could splash people by throwing balls into the water.  His favorite was to splash Grandma.  I have a cute video to share!

Friday:  Daddy came to Grandma's on Thursday night, so when Spencer woke up Friday morning, he was very excited to see him.  Grandma was at work, so after lounging around and relaxing a few hours, we headed back over to Papa's house to play in the pool one more time before driving home, and also to get Wendell.  By the time we left town, Spencer was super exhausted, and had fallen asleep on my lap in a matter of seconds after sitting down on it.  He didn't even wake up when Daddy put him in the van!

It was a great trip.  To be honest, I'm kind of sad we're back at home!  Spencer had a great time, as did I. I hope we can do it again sometime!

In other news, his fourth bottom tooth is FINALLY coming in, many months after the other three. I was beginning to wonder if it would at all!

Fourteen Months!

Today, New Year's Day, our darling young lad turns 14 months old! That seems so crazy to me.

He is quite the little monkey climber now, as well as a chatterbox. He learned to get up and down on the couch, and can get down from our bed all by himself, too.

He learned to climb out of his high chair if he's not strapped in. I learned this one evening, while he was eating and my back was turned doing dishes. I turned around to check on him and see if he wanted more to eat, and he was on top of the kitchen table!

He can say quite a few words now. Most of them seem to be dog commands, like "go away," "sit down," "no," and "out." He also says "no way!" That sounds pretty funny coming out of his mouth. He is perfecting "Wendell" more every day, too. He can also say "baby," "bath," "girl," "duck," "dog," "hi," "mama," and "dada." There are other noises we catch from time to time, though we're not sure if he is saying actual words.

Lately, his favorite activities seem to be playing with his toy snare drum, carrying around his giant puppy dog that he got from his aunt, uncle, and cousin for Christmas, watching Elmo or Praise Baby DVDs while mom is trying to get housework done, playing balls, and his shape sorter.

He also LOVES playing with glow sticks, especially in the bath tub.

Spencer had a good Christmas. We stayed home because I have been tormented by sciatica, but, fortunately for him, his aunts Samantha and Allison were here for an entire week! He had a ton of fun with them. I'm pretty certain this next week he will be crabby and depressed with them gone! We opened gifts on Christmas morning (he wore his new holiday elephants Mud Butt Diaper (see picture) for the occasion), and spent the day just spending time together. The following day, his Grandpa Lee and Grandma Angela came to visit. Today, he and daddy took his aunts home, and visited Grandma Anita and Papa Web, and then went to Grandma Mindy's house for supper (while I stayed home). So, despite my limitation on travel, Spencer still got to see all of his grandparents for the holidays. :)

I can't wait to see what this year brings for our little boy!

First Halloween!

Today was Spencer's first Halloween! He was all dressed up as an adorable baby elephant.

For the beginning of festivities, he went with the rest of his daycare friends trick-or-treating at a few of the businesses in Harrisburg. After daycare, his friends Grayson, Izzy, Judah, Jeremiah, Judah, and Krystian all went around the neighborhood together, dressed as various zoo animals. Of course, parents went with.

One of the highlights of the night, though, was that uncle Jesse and BFF Samantha came with! They are "home" from Alaska for a few days, so they can celebrate Spencer's first birthday (tomorrow)! Uncle Jesse did most of the trick-or-treating with Spencer.

I hope to have pictures to share in the next fewdays, but our computer is currently broken, so I am writing this on my phone. However, if you visit http://www.YouTube.com/ninjasj there are a few videos of Spencer in his costume from the photo shoot we did on Saturday!

Pumpkin Guts!

For the first time today, Spencer (and his daddy, actually, also!) experienced "pumpkin guts" for the first time. For me, carving, de-gutting, and harvesting seeds from a pumpkin has been a long-time "love affair" stemming from my childhood. Jake... not so much. I guess they didn't have those traditions in their family?

And of course, it's Spencer's first fall, so he hadn't experienced this all before.

Needless to say, I took it upon myself to make this a family affair.

Spencer didn't have much of an "outward" reaction to the slimy, gooey, seedy insides of our pumpkins, at least vocally, I guess. But, he did make quite a few funny faces for the camera. We took video, but who knows if/when we will get it actually put online.

I can't actually gauge if Spencer liked or disliked the experience, to be quite honest. He wasn't too fond of the idea of sticking his arm into the middle of the pumpkin, but he didn't seem to mind the stuff hanging from the "lid."

He was a big fan of the seeds. Really. He discovered them almost right away and was having a hard time picking them up and holding onto them, because they're slick little buggers. When I was de-gutting my pumpkin, he was glad to be of assistance, though, and was all up in my way and stealing seeds from my bowl.

Love that kid.

And, Jake had fun too! He laughed his way through feeling the pumpkin's guts and proceeded to de-gut and seed his entire pumpkin all by himself. I was so proud!

I carved mine already, but haven't taken pictures because I don't have a candle. Jake hasn't carved his. Spencer has yet to paint his miniature one. Oh! And I made a second pumpkin of mine into a chalkboard pumpkin.

It was fun. The end. :)

First Fourth!

Before I write about Spencer, let me just say I think that holidays that are primarily referred to by their actual date are somewhat silly. (For example: Cinco de Mayo, September 11th, The 4th of July.) I think they deserve more creative, meaningful names... like.... Independence Day!

Happy Birthday USA!
Anyway.

Yesterday was Spencer's first Independence Day! While he obviously has no idea what Independence Day (or even the two words, separately) means, he still was able to celebrate.

First, he had a spiffy new Mud Butt Diaper! And on Saturday, he had his professional photos taken in it. Here's one:

On Monday morning, we decided to go to the Annual 4th of July Parade! He loved it! I actually decided we should go based on prior experience with him loving traffic as it whizzes by our house in the morning. I figured he'd enjoy being close to traffic that was "more fun" than your typical morning commuters.

He hadn't had a nap beforehand, but he was still a jolly little guy, attracting attention from people actually in the parade, which was amusing to me.

Afterward, we went to Chevy's for lunch. He ate a little Spanish rice, some beans, some corn... mush... stuff, and had water through a straw! We took a video of that. He didn't suck it up through a straw, but it counts well enough, I think.

Came back and napped.

Then we took Wendell to the dog park. Unfortunately, there were hardly any other dogs there, so Spencer was somewhat bored... until we played in the sand! He played in the sand for the first time on Sunday, and the second time yesterday. He only attempted to eat it once each day, and it never even made it into his mouth. I was impressed! He really liked walking in it, and squishing his toes underneath the surface. He didn't so much care for me burying his feet. Not sure why.

Came home and put him to bed/nap for a bit, and then woke him up to go watch the fireworks display! At first, I couldn't tell which he liked more, the fireworks, or the traffic. I think by the end of the show, the fireworks won. :) He's such a great little baby!

And, he's saying, "Dad" all the time. Sometimes, I joke about him thinking the dog is his daddy, but he really gets excited when I talk about daddy, and I know he knows who that is.

Here's a video of him saying it tonight before bed:

A First New Year.

Spencer has officially lived in 2 calendar years, already, and he's only 9 weeks and one day old! Crazy!

For New Year's Eve this year, Jake, Spencer, Samantha, Allison, and I were invited to spend the evening at Pastor Lance's house (from Falls Church), playing games and having fellowship. It was a random call that Thursday from Lance, asking me what our plans were, to which I responded we had none, because Jake was scheduled to work on his overnight route.

Well, there was a blizzard, so we were able to go visit Lance and his family.

It was a good time. His wife's parents were there, as well as two of his daughters, and some of one of his daughter's friends. Spencer was passed around quite a bit, which was totally fine, as we played Outburst Remix. Spencer was very proud of his mommy and pastor Lance, as their team (comprised also of Samantha, Lance's father-in-law, and eventually his daughter) won all three games! Woohoo!

At midnight, the noise-makers were blown, and Spencer didn't even care. He was very happy and content the entire time! And, he was awake, which was fun. He got New Year's kisses from both his mom and dad. :-)

Following that evening, Saturday, we spent the day at home, Spencer, Samantha, Allison, and I. Spencer had multiple story-times with his Auntie Allie. He either really loves Dr. Seuss, or he REALLY REALLY loves listening to Allison read. He was flailing, and laughing, and kicking, and smiling, almost non-stop every time she would read.

Sadly, on Sunday, his aunts had to go back home to Papa Web's house in Minnesota. Spencer got to play with Papa Web for a while, as well as their dog, Adelynn, so that was kind of fun, too.

Now, it's just back to SJ and Mom at home. It's really quiet. I thought Spencer would be a little hard to adjust to not having his aunts around, but he did pretty well yesterday when we went to play with his friend Grayson, so I could help make posters for daycare.

Oh, and starting soon (hopefully) Spencer will be going to daycare! However, if he goes to daycare, so am I, as I'll be working at my friends Jillian & Robert's house, and Spencer can play with Grayson almost every day! That will be fun for all of us, I think. Keep your fingers crossed we find families!

Days with Auntie Sam and Auntie Allie

On Tuesday, Spencer and I roadtripped to Minnesota, to visit his Grandma Anita, Uncles Dustin and Bryan, and Grandpa Richard (haha, that sounds funny)... er... Papa Web, and also to bring his Aunts, Samantha and Allison, back to Sioux Falls.

He did very well in the suburban, sleeping the whole way there and the whole way back.

He got some Christmas presents from the family as well, shoes, onesies, a sleep sack, and Papa Web gave him a Bumbo chair! Although, the Bumbo was purple, so Jake exchanged it for a blue one. It was a mistake on Papa Web's part. He thought the chair was green! Spencer does great in his Bumbo already. He can hold his head up pretty well for up to five minutes before his neck starts getting tired (though it's usually not that long at all). (In this photo, I was sitting in the chair, so he was looking up at me, whoops.)

On Tuesday night when we got home, the aunts gave Spencer a bath. Of course, he loved it. He loves his bathtub. He has a cold though, so he used the Vapor Bath, which really did calm him down, too!

Wednesday, Jake's best friend, Brian, came to spend the night. Spencer stayed awake with a couple very tiny naps, from 6pm until 1:30am. He drank 1.5 ounces at 1:00, and then he slept until 5:55am when he woke starving! I was very surprised. He seemed to have a good time with the pizza and cards party we had, smiling and playing in his bumbo chair, bouncy chair, and swing.

Thursday, Spencer, Sam, Allie, and I went to "the Land of Books and Coffee." (That's Barnes and Noble.) He slept basically the entire time there, too. He had kind of an off day on Thursday, a little fussier than usual. He got another bath, and then, go figure, as soon as his dad came home, he had a massive poop, and so daddy took him to the shower.

It was pretty funny. Spencer started out screaming and crying in the shower, but before long, was silent, and all you could hear were Jake's constant giggles. Apparently, Spencer likes to shower!

Samantha and Allison will be here until Sunday (unless the weather or MN roads are still horrible), so we still have two days and a few hours to spend together. Since it's snowing and icy, we'll most likely stick around the house today, maybe have a New Year's Eve pajama party. I can't believe it's almost 2011, and Spencer will have lived in two years! That's amazing!

Oh, but some Spencer related developmental joy: talking and laughing! He's making a lot of talking noises lately, random utterances we love hearing, (especially instead of his cough), and he is also laughing! Not very often, and it's very short lived when he does, but he has laughed at least twice a day now, all week! We're just not sure how to get him to do it consistently, so we're hoping he does, soon. He loves when you stick your tongue out at him, or make buzzing noises with your lips.

Anyway, off to play!

Spencer's first Christmas.

It's an amazing joy to have been able to celebrate Christmas with Spencer in our lives this year!

A few weeks ago, while shopping with Jillian, I found these cute pajamas for Spencer to wear on his first Christmas.

Christmas Eve, Jake and I went to church, while Spencer slept in the church nursery. Afterward, SJ's uncle Jesse (Jake's twin) picked us all up (including Wendell) and we headed to their mom's house, Spencer's Grandma Mindy's. As soon as we got there, I changed his diaper and put on these pajamas. The consensus was that he looked like a candy cane, which gave Grandma's dog, Jeb, a good excuse for all the licking Spencer he likes to do.

Christmas morning, Spencer was awake bright and early, and the entire family commenced a gift opening ceremony. Spencer was given many items, including a cute pair of shoes and clothes. We can't wait for him to be able to wear all the items!

We spent the entire day at Grandma Mindy's house, though daddy's friend "Uncle" Brian visited, and mommy's friend, Lesley, who teaches English and drama in Mexico came too! Yay!

Sunday morning, bright and early, we drove to Orange City, Iowa, for Christmas with Grandpa Lee and Grandma Angela. Spencer was fortunate to get to meet Aunt Shari, Uncle Tom, Cousin Alyssa, Uncle Cody, and soon-to-be Aunt Emily! We had a great time with family there, too. Many photos were taken of Spencer, but in the majority of them, he looked mad. I thought that was funny, as he did spend most of the day happy and smiling! Oh well. Grandma Angela took a photo of us on our first Christmas as a family of 3, and we can't wait to see it! From Grandma & Grandpa Worthley, Spencer received more clothes, a few toys, a touch & feel book, and a bumper for his crib!

We're back home now, and spending the day just the two of us, getting back into the groove of being at home. It's a little difficult though, because Spencer has his first cold! He sounds so funny when he talks and cries.

Oh yeah, he's "talking" now! Started doing that a lot this weekend!

I can't believe Spencer is almost two months old (he is 8 weeks old today)! I can hardly believe he just celebrated his first Christmas, and that it is almost his first New Year's! Time flies, it's true!

Flesners and Fenders.

Yesterday, Jake, Spencer, and I traveled to rural southwest Minnesota for my mother's family's Christmas gathering. We were joined by my cousin's twins, who were quite a delight to chauffeur. They sat in back on either side of Spencer, playing peek-a-boo with him... as he slept. They didn't care. They had a grand ol' time! They decorated his car seat with the bright orange Schwan's stickers. I wanted to take a picture, but by the time we arrived at our destination, they had been transfered from the car seat to the suburban windows, and then to their faces, hands, and arms. Ah, well.

The gathering was a great time. My mom, Spencer's Grandma Anita, was there when we arrived, so she took him immediately, and he was full of smiles for her! I was very happy. I had been telling her for weeks now that he is super smiley, and she would ask for pictures, but every time I would get my phone out, he'd get all serious on me. Go figure.

As usual, he was passed around from Great-Aunt to Great-Aunt, mostly with the help of his Auntie Allie (who is 11). She's a hoot. She even changes diapers, happily at that.

Everyone got to see his super cute diapers, including his new Charlie Banana style, "Under Construction."

Papa Web (my dad) showed up a little later than we expected, but Spencer was able to spend quality time on the couch with him as he snuggled up and slept against his chest, and then had a bottle. Everyone commented on how much he's grown, and how beautiful his blue eyes are, and how cute he is. I love hearing it. I wasn't sure I'd ever hear them talking about my baby, after all!

Too bad, I'm a slacker mommy and didn't take ANY pictures of him.

Anyway. When we go to church on Sundays, he goes to the nursery, and for the first time, he was awake in the nursery! The lady who was volunteering (who is pretty regular) was telling us how she was so excited to see him awake and be able to play with him. Though, he was sleeping by the time we picked him up.

And in other news, for the second time in his short life, Spencer was involved in a fender-bender (we should probably stop letting him drive, eh?) this afternoon. Some schmuck was not paying attention as he was going around a curve in a residential area and smushed his puny car into our beefy ol' suburban. Got a few scratches and bent parts on the monster of a truck, but we're all well. Barely woke Spencer up, actually, he just grunted and cried a little, then went back to sleep. The first time he was in one was a few weeks ago (he didn't have a blog then), and he and I were leaving Starbucks and someone in a dark car wasn't paying attention at a stop light and decided he/she should go forward while everyone else was noticing that the light was red. Barely affected the car but made a nice noise as it pushed us forward, and the driver sped off into the darkness. Ergh. I was so mad.

That's all for now.

One-Twelfth

Today, our little Spencer is one month old. It seems crazy to think that it has been that long since I gave birth to him. Over the course of the last month, he has gained over a pound, nearly outgrown all of his newborn clothes, gone from 4 feedings a night to 3 or sometimes 2, visited Iowa and Minnesota, celebrated 3 Thanksgivings, and met over 43 of his mom's family and friends. There was one week where he got to see each of his grandparents for various reasons, which was really wonderful. He has even been to church twice! Developmentally, he seems right on track. He already is tracking faces and objects, and really enjoys a few of his toys, like his little radio that plays classical tunes and flashes pretty lights. He also really likes his swing and watching the mobile on it. This morning we noticed he was watching his dad's eyebrows moving up and down. He is quite the cuddle-bug which makes being stuck inside due to frigid cold a nice and cozy experience.